Worth
by animefreak5483
Summary: Nicolas escorts Nina to listen to Alex sing. Both our songstress and Twilight reflect on the state of their lives, and hope to find worth in the other's eyes. A short dabble about the worth of two troubled characters. Set after the anime/ a modification on chapter 30 of the manga. Complete - One shot.


_Author's Note:_

 _Stumbled across this anime/manga on a J-weekend binge (technically yesterday) and instantly loved the story. I am a sucker for a messed up and troubled groups of people; and Alex, Nicholas and the others… oh man. I also gravitated towards the pairing hints and the plot bunnies swarmed with some Nico/Alex fluff. Obviously, there are many things that I am anxiously awaiting to see what will befall our Benriya crew in the manga, until that happens, I'm going to let the bunnies fly! Enjoy the story, I don't own the characters._

* * *

She could not remember a time where she allowed herself a value - a sense of worth. As she ended the second set of songs at the Bastard Club… brothel… slightly classy establishment, whatever it was - the applause allowed her to momentarily forget the utter chaos that surrounded her life. Granted her former life on the streets, turning tricks, high out of her mind on the drug TB – a horrible cycle of downers – seemed only slightly worse at times, but for now… under these lights with them not judging her for her past… it felt good.

And each night, after a set the crowd would clap. Several men brought her flowers or some would ask her to come to the bar with them… a few gutsy souls found the courage to ask her to a room upstairs. Her non-medicated high dampened slightly at the thought of eyes, lustful eyes, roaming over her body. Much like the prostitute business, divas needed to entice attention and utilize any asset to maintain success. At least now, they could look, but she would never need to spread her legs unless she wanted.

This particular evening she smiled as the man who bluntly propositioned her now shrank in fear from the tall man with a katana. Nicholas, the Tagged deaf ex-mercenary seemed to follow her most evenings to the club – well when Worick was busy entertaining or 'relaxing.' Which had been happening with a frequency that both alarmed and thrilled her.

Her interest in the silent killer remained a thing from the moment she first noticed him in the window across from her favorite stairwell. That alley didn't yield any customers and she would find solace there at least once a week. A little slice of peace in her messed up hell of a life. Thinking back on those days, Worick would smile and wave at her from time to time if he saw her sitting there. He even blew her a kiss on one occasion, though he denied it when she brought that up a few weeks into her stay at the Benriyra.

The other man, Nicholas Brown, caught her attention with his gaze every time. It wasn't a warm look, nor was it entirely cold either. It held unvoiced questions and something that looked almost cautious… why he needed to be cautious of her made her laugh. But what else could there be? Cautious for her? More of a concern for her. Even before they met, he worried and it didn't make much sense.

Currently, they shared something more. It confused her more often than not, but it was there.

His presence parted the throngs of admirers for him and Nina to walk up to meet her. Stepping down off the stage, she expertly balanced the movement, even in the extremely high heels and insanely tight blue dress. While this one covered a bit more of her breasts, the fabric crisscrossed her body like bandages wrapping around her knees to her chest, going up into a one-shouldered design. It shimmered in the lights and matched her eyes well.

Nina smiled brightly at her, the awe in her eyes at the transformation from fainting prostitute to glamorous singer evident.

"Alex! You sounded amazing!" The girl gushed handing her a flower. Alex crouched down to be more at eye level and accepted the yellow daffodil.

"I can't believe the Doctor let you come out this late."

"It's ok, Nico brought me."

The faith the small nurse placed in the deaf Twilight never ceased to astound her. In many ways, her level of trust mirrored the girl at this point. It was dangerous to do so, but she couldn't stop herself.

"Are you done for the night?"

"Sorry sweetie, I have another set. But I do have a break now; can you stay a bit longer and split a piece of cake with me?" Looking up at the silent man, still not entirely looking at either of them.

She took his usual silence to mean the delay in returning Nina home wasn't a problem. Taking the small girl's hand, the two females walked towards the bar, Nico following some distance behind.

Looking at the happy girl, Alex allowed herself to feel the warmth in having friends, those who cared for her and didn't expect anything in return. It hurt remembering that one of her good friends, Connie, remained captured… or worse.

"So you like sweets?" Alex shook that thought from her head. Worick and the Cristiano family head, Loretta's words on business as usual until provoked echoed in her mind. Truth be told, she realized some time ago that her abilities meant very little in any rescue mission. What could she do? And how would sitting in the office do to help Connie. At least she could provide a distraction if needed for the others. Poor Marco needed it.

Finished with those sober thoughts, she looked over at Nicholas. It appeared that he too appreciated watching the little girl's enjoyment in eating her cheesecake at the bar. Sharing a knowing glance, before she turned away, Alex felt hopeful to one of these days get a full smile from him.

Taking the second fork on the counter, Alex indulged herself in the treat as well. Her eyes closed as her tongue savored the pop of sweet and cream in her mouth.

"This is good." She looked at the girl, who nodded. "Nicholas." She waved her hand, trying to get his attention. Knowing that he would protest, she scooped another piece on her fork and quickly stood. Placing her free arm on his, Nicholas turned. She didn't expect her idea to work, but as he turned, she brought the fork up and feed the startled man the bite.

Nina's expression emulated that of the stunned mercenary. While she didn't think he minded desserts, it must have been odd to have someone feed you unexpectedly.

"Good, isn't it?" She asked with a smile pulling the fork out of his mouth. Turing to get another forkful, she popped it between her lips.

His eyes remained on her's as the clean utensil left her mouth and she set it down on the counter.

"Well?" She signed, expecting him to answer.

"Better than you could ever make." His hands moved through the air, swiftly responded to the woman standing to his side. Nina giggled slightly, and the woman, who still had a long way to go with learning the new language, looked to the girl at the counter.

"I only got a little of that," she responded clumsily trying to string together the words in sign language. "But I'll have you know, I did make that."

Nina's laugh only increased seeing Nicholas' dumbfounded face.

"Nina, I'm glad you could see me sing. I'll probably be over to the clinic in a few days, but I have to go now."

"Thanks for the cake! It was amazing, Alex!" The girl jumped off the bar stool and went to hug the older woman. "Oh, and just so you know Nico picked out the flower."

A grunt from the mercenary got their attention and he gestured to the door.

"Ok, ok Nico. We can go. I promise Dr. Theo won't be angry with you if I'm late." Smiling and waving at the singer before the two left, Alex returned the gesture knowing that she didn't have to ask if Nicholas would come back. The answer was yes, he would be back in time to walk her home.

Worth. She had a worth now with so many people. While Alex understood her value to several people around her - like Nina, maybe a big sister; for Loretta, source of entertainment for her patrons; Worick got a conversation partner and confidant; Connie and she were growing fast friends… closing her eyes, she prayed the woman survived to return to Marco soon.

However, Nicholas… to him, her worth remained unknown. They had met in the past, her memories would not tell her much about the situation, but she was sure he had saved her. He always seemed to do that recently. And now, he badmouthed her, ignored her, tried his hardest to make her feel unwelcome at the Benriya and yet, he comforted her on multiple occasions, picked out flowers for her, and walked her home from her side job.

Someday, if she was lucky, she could find her worth and maybe even become something to him. Until then, she prepared herself to do better and become stronger. And if fate allowed, learn to cook better for him.

* * *

His mood felt like a roller coaster lately. Instead of his typical balancing act with rage or indifference, it now contained an almost constant influx of other emotions. Most popular of them: Worry – but not for himself. This feeling surged his mind and heart more than he would like to admit these days. He certainly had a lot to worry about with the different factions running around the world, the assholes trying to take over the city where he lived, and the nightmares that haunted his past. Those demons he dealt with through vigorous exercise and taking jobs that allowed him to channel the emotions.

Then he saw her… again.

Even from the window, her exotic skin tone, and bright blue eyes, even when dulled by the drugs and hardships, he knew it was the same woman he had bled for several years ago.

Fate brought them back together. Or maybe it was a curse. Once she remembered it all, could she stand to look at them? Would her naïve and utterly soft view on the good in people – even after seeing the scum that infested this city – change?

Sitting there, listening to her sing… well, that was impossible, feeling the vibrations of her voice through the speakers and the sway of her body, these and more issues ate away at him. Part of him wondered if her stubborn and loyal streak would get her killed before she fully remembers her past.

Generally, his capability to care limited itself to the likes of Nina and depending on the day, his partner and contract holder. Now, he begrudgingly conceded to the possibility of Alex on that list.

And that is where the issue came. The last time someone added to that list in the capacity he felt Alex intended to… she ended up in a worse circumstance than she deserved.

That line of thinking left him as Nina stood on her feet and joined the audience in a standing ovation.

"Come on Nico! Before she's gone backstage." Her hands signed out her desire before picking up the yellow flower.

Looking at the blossom, he pondered why he picked that one out of the flower shop's many options. Nina would not have allowed him to leave the store until he voiced his choice. He knew her intentions – he knew she would tell Alex he picked it out for her. The younger girl had noticed his change in demeanor. So did Worick, that lazy bastard. And it didn't help when others were cryptically telling her to run. He knew she should run... and yet he didn't really want her to.

How many nights had Worick coincidentally had a client – in one form of the other- leaving the task of escorting the songstress to him. This evening, Nina finally convinced the good Doctor to allow her out later in the night to listen. The two found seats and relaxed as the lights dimmed in the main room, and the stage illuminated the singer and musicians.

The smile on her face caught his attention. She rarely smiled like that, a full smile from her eyes to her lips. Taking a bow, he knew she let the crowd see more of her chest than she was comfortable with doing. For being a streetwalker, the amount of innocence in her shocked him. The faint blush on her cheeks told him she enjoyed singing, but the after effects of attention not so much.

A woman with her looks and ability to twist men, knew that she needed to do, but still, he could tell she yearned for a simple life.

She took an enormous bouquet of flowers from one man, the other handed her a box, possibly jewelry, and then, her expression soured. His senses went on high alert, seeing her step back from the man who reached out of touch her arm and made a head nod towards the second floor. The second floor held the prostitutes.

Walking swiftly ahead of Nina, he pressed the hilt of his katana into the man's back. Needless to say, he and the rest of the crowd left quickly. In moments like this, he wanted to growl that she belonged to him – my woman – for all to hear. Much like last time, he'd mean it, but not wanting to explain exactly what he meant... just yet.

Worick and Constance mentioned that she had a younger brother. Watching her interact with the young nurse and even Loretta and that Twilight infant, he could tell she was a gentle creature. Gentle normally got someone killed in this city.

It felt natural for her. He considered the stigma that so many women carried after living the life of a prostitute and aside from the side effects of TB, she showed very few.

He tried not to make it obvious that her position next to Nina gave him an excellent view of her body, glancing at her only from the corner of an eye.

Before he knew what happened, Alex stood up and took Nina's hand. She asked something about staying a bit later, but he didn't respond. Instead, he followed the two to the counter. Alex leaned over to wave down the bartender. She whispered something in his ear and the neatly dressed man nodded.

He marveled in the wonderment on Nina's face as the man set down a delicious looking piece of cheesecake. Treats of that perfection were rare in the city – but leave it to the Cristiano Family to have them on staff. Looking away after Alex caught his gaze, his attention went back to the crowd.

The next thing he realized came with a warm hand on his arm. Even through the fabric of the black shirt and jacket, he knew the touch held a warmth. Turning to look at Alex, he found a moist glob enter his slightly open mouth.

If it were not for the smile on her face and the sweet taste of the dessert in his mouth, he would have slapped her hand away. But he didn't.

The smug woman asked him if it was good before going to get another piece. He didn't know if she intentionally teased him with extracting the fork from her lips ever so slowly and with that expression or not. It caused his lower region to throb. Yet another cold shower for him that night. This lady excelled in underestimating her effects.

"Well?" She signed, expecting him to answer. Why did she always care what he thought all the time? It verged on annoying sometimes.

"Better than you could ever make." After signing that, he felt a little bad at the speed. There was no way that someone just learning to sign could have caught all that.

"I only got a little of that," he read her lips after not making much sense out of her hand gestures. "But I'll have you know, I did make that."

Silence – his brain seemed to stop for a second as the snarky response connected. Before he could sign something back, her attention turned elsewhere. Anger surged in her dismissal.

The two hugged and Nina stood up from her seat.

"Ok, ok Nico. We can go. I promise Dr. Theo won't be angry with you if I'm late." The girl smiled at Nicholas.

Looking back slightly, he saw Alex waving, the look in her eyes asked if he would return to walk her home. Looking away, he wanted to shake his head. Of course, he would be back for her. Stupid woman… his stupid woman.

But that thought made him smirk lightly- more like the corner of his mouth tick upwards at the thought of him meaning that much to her. Worth, he grunted internally, as he opened the door open for Nina. Looking back briefly, he noticed someone assist her back on stage and the vibrations once again reverberated from the floor up through his body as he walked outside.

She certainly held a worth to him… be it good or bad, she saw him as a man and not just a killer. She wanted him at her side, and that is exactly where he wanted to be… for as long as she would let him, he would show her he too had a worth.

* * *

 _Short and sweet. Stay tuned, for a longer story in the works. It all depends on how slowly the manga continues, and how strongly these plot bunnies swarm! I might have to unleash them to tide me over!_

 _Hope you all enjoyed it and please do click that button if you have the time!_


End file.
